Sidmouth Under-16s gave an excellent account of themselves in what was an intense contest with Brixham that saw the young Chiefs beaten 36-19.

Brixham were quickly out of the traps and an early kick over the try line was grounded to give the Fishermen a first minute try!

Sidmouth responded well and began to make progress, but Brixham defended strongly and a breakthrough gave them a try between the posts and a straightforward conversion.

Back in the Brixham half, a solid passage of play demonstrated the best of Sidmouth teamwork.

Allen made good ground before passing to Pearse who continued the attack and finally passed to Dix who crossed the whitewash and Allen slotted the conversion.

The play became end-to-end with Sidmouth giving as good as they got. A further try would have evened the score, but ultimately it was Brixham who scored next with a converted try that saw them go in at half-time with a 19-7 lead.

Sidmouth started the second half brightly and put pressure on the Brixham defence. The young Fishermen defended well and a breakaway saw them make good ground. However, Sidmouth regained possession and play reverted back to the Brixham half!

Close to the try line, Davies seemed to be looking to pass but, as the Brixham defender in front of him moved his attention away, he saw the space, deftly converted his manoeuvre into a dummy, and darted forward to score. Unfortunately, there was no conversion this time.

Sidmouth continued to have the majority of possession and play was mostly in the Brixham half, but strong Brixham defence resisted them and the Fishermen made the most of three fleet-footed counters that each produced a try, one of them being converted.

An excellent Sidmouth restart kick sent the ball towards the try line. To his frustration, a Brixham defender knocked on, and, from the resulting scrum, Barnett scored. A confident kick from Allen sailed over the bar to complete the scoring in a fine game.

Sidmouth coach Daryl Pearce said: “The score line belied the intensity of the competition. I felt our forwards were dominant in the scrums and line-outs, but the Brixham backs made more of their opportunities and were more efficient at making their first up tackles count. However, there was plenty for us to be pleased about and work with.”